Manual knitting machine with a needle selector mechanism

ABSTRACT

A manual knitting machine with a needle bed in which needles are displaceably assembled, having a slide displaceable on the needle bed perpendicularly to the direction of motion of the needles, which slide, through a cam mechanism adapted to cooperate with the butts of the needles, is adapted to move the needles backwards and forwards to execute the knitting action, a needle selector mechanism, assembled on the slide, for moving specific needles out of their normal knitting position into a selecting position, and a control mechanism for arbitrarily operating the needle selector mechanism comprises an adjuster wheel assembled to rotate freely on the slide and having circumferentially distributed projections arranged, when the slide is displaced, to mesh with the needle butts in the manner of a gear, and a brake device which is arranged, when operated by the control mechanism, to stop the adjuster wheel so that the needle butts are displaced by the adjuster by a camming action of the wheel projections and the needles moved into their selector position.

United States Patent [191 Spencer MANUAL KNITTING MACHINE WITH A NEEDLESELECTOR MECHANISM [75] Inventor: Dennis Lincoln Spencer, Turkenfeld,

Germany [73] Assignee: Knittax, Berlin, Germany [22] Filed: Apr. 15,1974 [21] Appl. No.1 461,097

[52] U.S. Cl 66/60; 66/75 [51] Int. Cl. D04B 7/00 [58] Field of Search66/75, 60, 60 H, 64

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,358,473 12/1967 Suzuki66/60 3,611,733 10/1971 Krause 66/75 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS1,174,060 12/1969 United Kingdom 66/75 536,296 4/1930 Germany 66/751,265,336 5/1961 France 66/604 1,189,748 10/1959 France 66/604 PrimaryExaminer-Ronald Feldbaum Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Beaman & Beaman Oct.21, 1975 [57] ABSTRACT A manual knitting machine with a needle bed inwhich needles are displaceably assembled, having a slide displaceable onthe needle bed perpendicularly to the direction of motion of theneedles, which slide, through a cam mechanism adapted to cooperate withthe butts of the needles, is adapted to move the needles backwards andforwards to execute the knitting action, a needle selector mechanism,assembled on the slide, for moving specific needles out of their normalknitting position into a selecting position, and a control mechanism forarbitrarily operating the needle selector mechanism comprises anadjuster wheel assembled to rotate freely on the slide and havingcircumferentially distributed projections arranged, when the slide isdisplaced, to mesh with the needle butts in the manner of a gear, and abrake device which is arranged, when operated by the control mechanism,to stop the adjuster wheel so that the needle butts are displaced by theadjuster by a camming action of the wheel projections and the needlesmoved into their selector position.

7 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures U. S. Patent Oct. 21, 1975 Sheet 1 of 43,913,353

U.S. Patent Oct. 21, 1975 Sheet2of4 3,913,353

U. S. Patent Oct. 21, 1975 Sheet30f4 3,913,353

US. Patent 0a. 21, 1975 Sheet4 of4 3,913,353

Fig. 6

MANUAL KNITTING MACHINE WITH A NEEDLE SELECTOR MECHANISM BACKGROUND OFTHE INVENTION This invention relates to a manual knitting machine with aneedle bed in which the needles are displaceably assembled, with a slidedisplaceable on the needle bed perpendicularly to the direction ofmotion of the needles, which slide, through a cam machanism cooperatingwith the butts of the needles, moves the needles backwards and forwardsin order to execute the knitting action, a needle selector mechanismassembled on the slide, by means of which specific needles can be movedout of their normal knitting position into a selecting position, and acontrol mechanism for arbitrarily operating the needle selectormechanism.

In one known manual knitting machine of this kind as shown in Swiss Pat.No. 387,214, the needle selector mechanism consists of a lever pivotallyassembled on the slide, which can be pivoted against the bias loadfurnished by a spring and under the control of an electromagnet, intothe path of movement of the needle butts. The end of the lever isdesigned as a cam face, so that the needle butt engaged by the lever isdisplaced along a guide track provided in the slide, into its selectorposition. The control of the electromagnet is effected throughelectrical contacts arranged in the guides, which contacts are operatedby the needle butts sliding through the guides.

By means of this device, the needles can be moved out of the knittingposition, in which they perform the normal knitting action, into aselector position in which they are displaced externally in relation tothe knitting position. In this fashion, specific knitting patterns canbe produced because the sequence of stitches can be changed from row torow. However, it has been found in practice that this kind of mechanismis unsuitable for high speeds of operation because the lever operated bythe electromagnet must execute a relatively large pivoting motion in anextremely short time. Also, the known mechanism has the drawback that aseparate electromagnet is required for each direction of motion of theslide.

In another known manual knitting machine of similar design as shown inGerman Pat. No. 1,207,540 likewise an elastically biassed lever isprovided which, in its operating position, transfers the needle buttsfrom one guide path to another. In this case, however, the levers mustbe displaced manually into their operating positions, and this restrictsthe range of applications of this mechanism.

In another known manual knitting machine as shown in US. Pat. No.3,358,473 and Great Britain Pat. No. 1,174,060 punched cards are used tocontrol the needle selector mechanism, the cards being carried alongwith the slide.

Through relatively complicated cam mechanisms with needle linkages,gears and cams, then, in accordance with the information contained inthe punched card, specific needles are moved into their selectorposition. These known needle selector mechanisms involve such a largeconstructional outlay that they are uneconomical when applied to manualknitting machines.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The object of the invention is to provide amanual knitting machine of the kind described in the introduction, whoseneedle selector mechanism can also be used for high speeds of operation,without involving too heavy an outlay in construction.

According to the invention the needle selector mechanism consists of anadjuster wheel assembled to rotate freely on the slide and equipped withcircumferentially distributed projections which, when the slide isdisplaced, mesh with the needle butts in the manner of a gear, and ofbrake device which, when operated by the control mechanism, stops theadjuster wheel so that the needle butts are displaced by the adjusterwheel projections, these now acting as cams, and the needles moved intotheir selector position.

Where the manual knitting machine of the invention is concerned, inorder to switch needle selector mechanism in and out, it is merelynecessary to operate the brake device. In this fashion, it is possibleto readily cope even with very high operating speeds so that even if theneedle selector mechanism is actuated from one needle to the next, nodifficulties are encountered. The constructional outlay is relativelylow so that the cost of manufacture of the manual knitting machine canbe kept within reasonable bounds. A further advantage of the manualknitting machine in accordance with the invention resides in the factthat the needle selector mechanism is operative in both direction ofmotion of the slide. Yet another advantage is that the pattern producedby the needle selector mechanism need not necessarily extend over thefull width of the knitted item, but can be restricted to any arbitrarypart thereof.

In a convenient embodiment of the invention, the projections of theadjustable wheel are designed as levers pivotally attached to the wheel,each of which is biassed into a centre position by a spring device and,when the adjuster wheel is braked, is pivoted by the relevant needlebutt into an operative position determined by a stop, these leverspresenting the needle butts with an inclined surface. Conveniently, theaxis of rotation of the adjuster wheel will here be disposed parallel tothe direction of motion of the needles and the axis of pivot of thelevers perpendicularly to the axis of rotation of the adjuster wheel'sothat the levers, projecting axially away from the adjuster wheel, extendbetween the needle butts. In this fashion, smooth and reliable guidanceof the needle butts is ensured.

In an advantageous further embodiment of the invention, the brake deviceexhibits an electromagnet and the armature thereof or an actuatorelement attached to it, will be designed to engage in a groove in theadjuster wheel. The use of an electromagnet as the brake device makesfor particularly simple operation of the needle selector operation.

When using an electromagnet as the brake device, it is particularlyadvantageous furthermore that in a further embodiment of the inventionthe control device exhibits an electrical or electronic switchingdevice, operable by the slide movement, in order to actuate theelectromagnet. Preferentially, the switching device will have aswitching wheel, rotatably assembled on the slide and driven by theslide motion, with a printed circuit arranged in a predeterminedpattern, said circuit, in a sequence determined by the contact blockarranged along the slide, producing signals which energise theelectromagnet. In order to control the knitted pattern, it is thussimply necessary to change the printed circuit of the switching wheel.Because the switching device is driven by the slide motion, specialmatching of the control device to different widths of knitwear, isunnecessary.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will now be furtherdescribed, by way of example, with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic plan view of a manual knitting machine inaccordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a side elevation of the manual knitting machine asshown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic view of the path of motion of the needlebutts, relative to the slide;

FIG. 4 illustrates a plan view of a needle selector mechanismof themanual knitting machine shown on FIG. 1, on a larger scale;

FIG. 5 is a cross-section in the line VV of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is a cross-section on the line VI-VI of FIG. 4.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The manual knitting machine shownschematically in FIGS. 1 and 2, has a needle bed 2 in which the needles4 can move backwards and forwards in a linear fashion. On the top of theneedle bed, a slide 6 is assembled to be displaced perpendicularly tothe direction of motion of the needles 4, in the direction of the arrowa, and can be moved backwards and forwards by means of a handle 8. Onthe bottom of the slide 6 a cam mechanism 7 is provided (schematicallyshown in FIG. 3), which cooperates with the butts 9 of the needles 4.

The slide 6 also carries a mechanism 10 for guiding the yarn.

When the slide 6 is displaced, the needles are displaced in accordancewith a path indicated by the chain-dotted line A of FIG. 3, and in sodoing perform the knitting action.

The slide 6 also carries a needle selector mechanism 12 by means ofwhich the needles can arbitrarily be moved into a selector position inwhich they are displaced to the exterior in relation to the normalneedle position, this being indicated in the case of the needle 4' bythe broken lines B. By displacing specific needles into their selectorposition, it is possible to produce specific knitted patterns. Theselector position B, however, can also be used in order, in addition tothe normal yarn, to knit another yarn of a different colour, so thatmulticolour patterns can be produced. In this case, the yarn feedmechanism 10 must be accompanied by an additional yarn feed mechanism 11(shown in broken line) in order to supply the yarn of the other colour.

The needle selector mechanism 12 is arbitrarily controlled by a controlmechanism 14 likewise carried by the slide 6, so that in departure fromthe normal needle motion A, the needle motion B shown in broken line inFIG. 3, can be produced.

The construction of the needle selector mechanism 12 has been shown inmore detail in FIGS. 4 to 6. The needle selector mechanism 12 exhibitsan adjuster wheel 16 freely rotatable on the slide 6 through the mediumof a spindle l8 and bearings 20. The adjuster wheel 16 has an axialextension 22 of hexagonal crosssection. On each of the external surfacesof the axial extension 22, a projection in the form of a lever 24 isprovided, the various levers pivoting about pivots 26. Each of thelevers 24 is centered by a spring 32, in a central position which isaligned with the axial direction of the adjust wheel 16.

Each of the springs 32 exhibits a portion which is coiled around a pin30, from which coiled portion two spring arms extend away so that theirends embrace a short portion of the lever 24 between them. Between thetwo levers there is furthermore arranged a pin 28 attached to the axialextension 22, which pin is disposed between the pin 30 and the fulcrumpin 26 of the lever. The pin 28 is used to limit the deflection of thelegs of the spring 32 in one direction.

The spindle 18 of the adjuster wheel 16 is disposed perpendicularly tothe direction of motion a of the slide, and the fulcrum pin 26 of thelever 24 is disposed perpendicularly to the axis of rotation of theadjuster wheel 16. Thus, the lever arms 24 extend parallel to thedirection of motion b of the needles. The adjuster wheel 16, with itslevers 24, is here disposed relatively to the needles 4 in such anattitude that the levers 24 engage between the needle butts 9. Thedimensions are so chosen that with displacement of the slide 6 theadjuster wheel 16 meshes with the needle butts 9 after the manner of agear. The needle butts act as a rack while the levers 24 form the teethof this gear drive.

The force exerted by the springs 32is of such magnitude that the levers24 do not shift away from their central position during the meshingengagement with the needle butts 9, as long as the adjuster wheel 16 isable to rotate freely. If, however, the adjuster wheel 16 is stopped,the lever 24 which is in engagement at the time is pivoted by theassociated needle butt 9 against the force of the spring 32. The lever24 then moves into the position shown in chain-dotted fashion in FIG. 4,this position being limited by a stop (not shown) and being displacedthrough about 40 in relation to the initial position. The lever 24 hereforms an inclined cam face over which the associated needle butt slidesallowing the relevant needle to move into its selector position.

To arbitrarily stop the adjuster wheel 16, a brake mechanism is providedin the form of an electromagnet 34. The electromagnet 34 has two halves,36, 38, the magnetic circuit formed by the halves 36, 38, being closedthrough a cylindrical element 40 carrying a coil 42. The armature 44 ofthe electromagnet is supported by a spring component 46 one of whoseends is attached by a screw 47 to the magnet half 36. The springcomponent 46 is equipped at its ends remote from the fixed end, with abent portion 50 which can engage in one of several grooves 48distributed around the periphery of the adjuster wheel, when thearmature 44 is attracted towards the halves 36, 38 on activation of theelectromagnet. By operating the electromagnet 34, the adjuster wheel 16can thus be halted.

To control the operation of the electromagnet 34, the control mechanism14 shown in FIGS. 1 and, 2 is provided. The control mechanism 14exhibits a-switching wheel 52 which is mounted to rotate freely on pivot53 located on an arm 54 of the slide 6. The switching wheel 52 isprovided with teeth 56 distributed around its circumference, thesemeshing with openings 57 provided in the needle bed 2. When the slide 6is displaced the switching wheel is rotated in accordance with the speedof the displacement of the slide.

On the top of the switching wheel 52, a printed circuit 58 is providedwhich consists of spaced conducting segments electrically connected topivot 53, the segments define a pattern corresponding to the desiredknitting pattern, the printed circuit is formed in the normal fashion byetching away the unwanted metal and the pivot 53 is electricallyconnected to electromagnet 34 by conductor 55. The printed circuit 58segments are sequentially engaged by the radially spaced contacts of acontact block 60 connected to conductor 61 so that with rotation of theswitching wheel 52, a predetermined sequence of on-off signals isproduced in the electromagnet 34 through the supply switch conductors 61and 55, and supply conductor 57 also connected to electromagnet 34.These electrical signals are employed to control the electromagnet.

The mode of operation of the needle selector mechanism 12 described, andits associated control devive 14, is as follows:

In the normal operation, when the electromagnet 34 is not energised andthe needle selector mechanism 12 is thus not operative, the adjusterwheel 16 is rotated, with any displacement of the slide 6, due to theengagement between the needle butts 9 and the levers 24, without theadjuster wheel 16 having any influence upon the movement of the needles4. At the same time, the switching wheel 52 is rotated by the slidemotion, the rotary motion of the switching wheel 52 being proportionalto the linear motion of the slide 6. If, at a predetermined position inthe slide motion, the switching wheel 52 then produces an electricalsignal in accordance with the given pattern of the printed circuit, thenthe electromagnet 34 is energised. The armature 44 and therefore thespring component 46 are attracted towards the halves 36, 38 so that thecurved end 50 can engage in one of the grooves 48 in the adjuster wheel16. Consequently, further rotation of the adjuster wheel 16 isprevented.

However, because the adjuster wheel and the levers 24 continue to moveon linearly together with the slide '6, in relation to the needle bed 2,the particular lever 24 which is in engagement with a needle butt 9, ispivoted against the action of the spring 32 and by the relevant needlebutt, into the position shown in chaindotted fashion in FIG. 4 until thelever comes up against the associated stop (not shown). As the slidemoves onwards, the needle butt 9 slides over the entire surface of thelever 24 so that the needle 4 is moved into its selector position.

by an appropriate choice of the printed circuit 58 on the switchingwheel 52, any arbitrary knitting pattern can be produced.

What is claimed is:

l. A manual knitting machine comprising, in combination, a needle bed, aplurality of needles displaceably supported on said bed each having abutt, a slide displaceable on said needle bed perpendicularly to thedirection of displacement of said needles, camming means defined onsaidslide cooperating with the butts of said needles to move said needlesbackwards and forwards to execute the knitting action, needle selectormeans mounted on said slide for moving specific needles out their normalposition into a selecting position, control means mounted on said slideoperating said needle selector means in a predetermined manner, saidneedle selector means comprising an adjuster wheel assembled to rotatefreely on said slide, projections circumferentially distributed on saidadjuster wheel and pivotal between camming and non-camming positionsmeshing with said needle butts whereby said wheel is rotated duringmovement of said slide, and braking means operable by said control meansadapted to selectively stop and adjuster wheel rotation whenever aneedle is to be moved to its selecting position so that said needlebutts are displaced by said adjuster wheel by a camming action of saidprojections and said needles moved into their selecting position.

2. A manual knitting machine is claimed in claim 1 in which saidprojections of said adjuster wheel comprise levers pivotally mounted onsaid adjuster wheel, a spring device biasing said levers into a centernoncamming position and said levers being pivoted by the engaged needlebutt into an operative camming position whereby said needles form aninclined plane to displace the engaged needle butt when said adjusterwheel is braked and said slide is displaced.

3. A manual knitting machine as claimed in claim 2, in which the axis ofrotation in said adjuster wheel extends parallel to the direction ofdisplacement of said needles and the pivot axis of each of said leversextends perpendicularly to the axis of rotation of said adjuster wheel,so that said levers project axially away from said adjuster wheel,between said needle butts.

4. A manual knitting machine as claimed in claim 1, in which saidbraking means includes an electromagnet.

5. In a manual knitting machine as claimed in claim 4, in which saidelectromagnet includes an armature engaging a groove defined in saidadjuster wheel when said electromagnet is energized.

6. A manual knitting machine as claimed in claim 5 in which said controlmeans includes programmed electric switching means mounted on saidslide, said switching means being operable by the motion of said slideto actuate said electromagnet.

7. A manual knitting machine as claimed in claim 6 in which saidswitching means includes a switching wheel engaging the needle bed anddriven by the slide motion and rotatably mounted on said slide, saidswitching wheel carrying a printed circuit arranged in a specificpattern, and a contact block mounted on said slide having a plurality ofcontacts sequentially engaging said printed circuit whereby theengagement of said contacts with the printed circuit generate signalsfor energizing said electromagnet in a predetermined sequence.

1. A manual knitting machine comprising, in combination, a needle bed, aplurality of needles displaceably supported on said bed each having abutt, a slide displaceable on said needle bed perpendicularly to thedirection of displacement of said needles, camming means defined on saidslide cooperating with the butts of said needles to move said needlesbackwards and forwards to execute the knitting action, needle selectormeans mounted on said slide for moving specific needles out their normalposition into a selecting position, control means mounted on said slideoperating said needle selector means in a predetermined manner, saidneedle selector means comprising an adjuster wheel assembled to rotatefreely on said slide, projections circumferentially distributed on saidadjuster wheel and pivotal between camming and non-camming positionsmeshing with said needle butts whereby said wheel is rotated duringmovement of said slide, and braking means operable by said control meansadapted to selectively stop and adjuster wheel rotation whenever aneedle is to be moved to its selecting position so that said needlebutts are displaced by said adjuster wheel by a camming action of saidprojections and said needles moved into their selecting position.
 2. Amanual knitting machine is claimed in claim 1 in which said projectionsof said adjuster wheel comprise levers pivotally mounted on saidadjuster wheel, a spring device biasing said levers into a centernon-camming position and said levers being pivoted by the engaged needlebutt into an operative camming position whereby said needles form aninclined plane to displace the engaged needle butt when said adjusterwheel is braked and said slide is displaced.
 3. A manual knittingmachine as claimed in claim 2, in which the axis of rotation in saidadjuster wheel extends parallel to the direction of displacement of saidneedles and the pivot axis of each of said levers extendsperpendicularly to the axis of rotation of said adjuster wheel, so thatsaid levers project axially away from said adjuster wheel, between saidneedle butts.
 4. A manual knitting machine as claimed in claim 1, inwhich said braking means includes an electromagnet.
 5. In a manualknitting machine as claimed in claim 4, in which said electromagnetinCludes an armature engaging a groove defined in said adjuster wheelwhen said electromagnet is energized.
 6. A manual knitting machine asclaimed in claim 5 in which said control means includes programmedelectric switching means mounted on said slide, said switching meansbeing operable by the motion of said slide to actuate saidelectromagnet.
 7. A manual knitting machine as claimed in claim 6 inwhich said switching means includes a switching wheel engaging theneedle bed and driven by the slide motion and rotatably mounted on saidslide, said switching wheel carrying a printed circuit arranged in aspecific pattern, and a contact block mounted on said slide having aplurality of contacts sequentially engaging said printed circuit wherebythe engagement of said contacts with the printed circuit generatesignals for energizing said electromagnet in a predetermined sequence.